Berry-picker



l. C! GENEROUSS.

BERRY PICKER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG- 11919.

Patented Dec. 14,1920.

WITNESS.- FIE j A TTORNE Y.

JAMES C. GENEBOUSS, OF WESTFIELID, MASSACHUSETTS.

BERRY- ICKEB.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Dee. 1st, 1920.

Application filed August 7, 1919. Serial No. 315,838.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, James C. GnNnnoUss, a citizen of the United Statesof America, and a resident of lV-estfield, in the county of Hampden andState of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Berry- Picker, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in hand devices for gatheringberries. such as blueberries, blackberries, huckleberries, and the like,from the bushes upon which they grow, and consists essentially of astructure comprising a plurality of troughs or channels, and having areceiver at the rear end, together with such other parts and members asmay be necessary or desirable in order that the picker shall be entirelyeflicient and serviceable, all as hereinafter set forth.

The primary object of my invention is to produce a device with whichsmall berries. such as those enumerated above and even in many casesberries which grow upon vines, can be expeditiously gathered withoutinjury to the berries.

Another object is to provide a device of this character which is notonly highly efficient, but comparatively inexpensive and simple inconstruction.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of the followingdescription.

I attain the objects and secure the ad vantages of my invention by themeans illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is atop plan of a berry picker which embodies a practical form of myinvention; Fig. 2, a side elevation of said picker; Fig. 3, a verticalsection taken from front to back on lines 3-3, looking in the directionof the associated arrow, in Fig. 1; and, Fig. 4;, an enlargedcross-section through one of the channels or troughs and parts of twoothers, on lines 4- 1, looking in the direction of the associated arrow,in Fig. 1.

Similar characters of reference designate similar parts throughout theseveral views.

In the present embodiment of the invention the picker comprises a curvedback 1, two side frames each consisting of top and bottom, horizontalmembers 2 and 22. respectively, separated'or spaced apart by a pair ofuprights 5, and an oblique member 6 connecting the forward ends of saidmembers 2 and 22, the latter being longer than the former and extendingbeyond the vertical plane of the forward end the self. side pieces 7 offabric which are attached to the inner sides of said frames, a pluralityof troughs or channel members which form fingers 8, and a handle 9.

The back member 1 may be of metal and may be extended to form a dropbottom 10, which is below the plane of the channel 8, and furtherextended to form a horizontal projection 11 upon which the rear terminalportions of said fingers are mounted and to which they are secured byrivets 12 or other suitable means. The back 1 may extend beyond the sideframes and be provided at the ends with side pieces 18. These sidepieces are attached to rearwardly extending portions of the framemembers 2 and 22. The fabric 7 not only covers the inner sides of theframes, but may also be extended to cover the inner sides of the sidepieces 13, and the inside of the back 1, the bottom 10, and the part 14,which latter connects said bottom with the projection 11, may be coveredwith fabric if desired, or said bottom might consist wholly or partiallyof fabric. The purpose of the fabric is to afford or provide yieldingsurfaces'upon which the berries are received during the pickingoperation, so that they will not be bruised or otherwise injured.

The fingers 8 are spaced from each other to receive between them thebranches, twigs, or runners of the bushes or vines from which theberries are gathered. Each finger 8 has an interiorly concave bottom andparallel sides, and is pointed at its front end, as represented at 15,so as to enable the fingers to be readily inserted in or introduced intothe bushes or vines. The pointed portions or teeth 15 of the fingers 8are extensions of the bottoms or floors of said fingers, whichextensions project beyond the front ends of the sides of said fingers.The upper edges of the sides of each finger 8 are bent or rolled over,as best shown at 16 in Fig. 4, so that they will not be liable to cut orbruise the berries when the latter are shaken from the bush or vine.

The handle 9 is mounted on the back 1, at the top in the center, andprojects for wardly over the adjacent fingers 8.

A receiver 17 is provided at the back end of the picker, such receiverbeing formed by the back 1, the sides 13, the bottom 10, and the part14.

In practice the picker is held by means of the handle 9 with. thepointed members or teeth 15 projecting forwardly, and pushed into aberry bush, for example, as far aspossible or until a number of thetwigs of the bush are received between the fingers 8, even as far backas the front edge of the projection 11, and then said picker is shakensomewhat vigorously sidewise. This action causes the berries above thefingers 8 to become detached from the bush and drop into said channels.The berries which are thus shaken off. and caused to fall into the fingers 8, roll down the latter into the receiver 17, provided the pickerbe held at an incline with the teeth 15 uppermost, or such berries maybe, caused to pass into said receiver upon removing said picker from thebush and tilting it so as to incline said fingers downwardly from fronttov rear.

After the bottom part of the receiver 17 is filled so that, more berriescan not conveniently be introduced into the same, the picker isinverted. and the berries carefully poured out into a suitablereceptacle for further disposition.

l/Vith. this picker it is not only possible but: feasible to gatherberries rapidly and in large quantities. Of course, small twigs, leaves,and a few unripe berries may be gatheredwiththe ripe berries, but. it isa comparatively simple matter, after removing the berries from thepicker, to separate from the ripe berries whatever dross may have beenaccumulated.

The outermost fingers 8 may be attached to the framework of the sides ofthe picker, inv which event the bent-over portion or roll 16 on theexterior sidesof such fingers may be omitted.

The fingers-8 are more or less yielding or resilient, a characteristicor quality which enables; themthe more readily to be introduced into.the berry bushes.

More or less change may be made in the size, shape, arrangement, andconstruction ofsome or all of the parts of this device without departingfrom thespi-rit ofqny in.- vention. or exceeding the scope of what isclaimed.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A berry picker comprising a receiver at the back end having aberry-receiving drop-bottom portion which is provided in front with ahorizontal projection, a plurality of resilient horizontal fingersmounted on and attached to said projection and extending forwardlytherefrom, said projection and fingers throughout their entire lengthsbeing on. a plane above. the plane of the floor of said drop-bottomvportion, and said fingers being spaced from each other, and side membersforward of said receiver and rising above said fingers.

2. A berry picker comprising fabric-covered side frames, a memberattached to. the rear ends of said frames and extended to form aberry-receiving drop bottom and to provide a support and place ofattachment for fingers, and a plurality of resilient horizontal fingers,between said frames, spaced from each other and having theirrear-terminal portions mounted: on and attached to said support, the.latter and said fingers throughout the entire lengths being on a planeabove that of the floor of said drop bottom.

3. A berry picker comprising skeleton side frames covered with fabric, amember attached to the rear endsof saidframes, and extended to form a,berry-receiving drop bottom and to provide a support and place ofattachment for fingers, a plurality of resilient horizontal fingers,between said frames, spaced from each other and having theirrear-terminal portions mounted on and attached to said support,thelatter and said fingers being on a plane above that of the floor of saiddrop bottom, the bottoms of said fingers extending forward of the sidesthereof and the extended portions being pointed, and the upper edges ofsaid finger sides being bent over, and a handle mounted on said memberwhich is attached to the rear ends of said frames, and projectingforward over the fingers.

JAMES o. GENEROUSS.

WVitnesses:

F. A. CUTTER, ARTHUR A. BETH.

